What was meant to be a milestone night for veteran actress Iyabo Ojo has been largely overshadowed by a viral moment between two of Nollywood‘s biggest names, Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, after a widely circulated video showed Akindele appearing to deliberately ignore Abraham’s greeting at Sunday night’s premiere.

The incident occurred at the premiere of Iyabo Ojo’s film, The Return of Arinzo, held at the Balmoral Event Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

What happened

Funke Akindele was seated at the same table as Iyabo Ojo and Mercy Aigbe when Toyin Abraham came over to greet them. While Ojo and Aigbe both acknowledged Abraham’s greeting, Akindele looked away and said nothing, completely ignoring her colleague. Abraham was visibly left in an awkward position and walked away from the table.

A separate angle of the same incident shows Abraham, dressed in a purple gown, arriving at the table after the screening was about to begin, greeting those present. Akindele maintained a stern expression and did not respond.

Toyin Abraham reacts

Abraham did not let the moment pass quietly. She unfollowed Akindele on Instagram shortly after the event and made her feelings known publicly. “I have unfollowed her. God forbid a bad thing. If I ever greet her again, that means I am a bastard,” she wrote.

Akindele subsequently unfollowed Abraham, and both actresses are no longer following each other on the platform. Neither has issued a formal statement explaining the root of the current tension.

The controversy has inadvertently dominated conversations that should have centred on Iyabo Ojo’s directorial debut. The Return of Arinzo, scheduled for a cinema release on April 3, attracted a star-studded audience, including Rita Dominic, Mo Abudu, Femi Adebayo, Odunlade Adekola, Florence Ita-Giwa, AY Comedian, and Shaffy Bello. Many observers have noted that the viral snub clip has eclipsed the film’s launch entirely.

The tension between the two actresses has deep roots, though its exact origins have never been publicly confirmed by either party.

The most recent flashpoint came in early February 2026, when filmmaker Kunle Afolayan publicly criticised the use of dance skits and social media challenges as a film promotion strategy, a method closely associated with Akindele. Toyin Abraham was seen as having sided with Afolayan’s position, a stance widely interpreted as a slight against Akindele. Iyabo Ojo, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, and Mo Abudu all weighed in on the debate at the time